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Non-US Encryption Is 'Theoretical', Claims CIA Chief In Backdoor Debate (theregister.co.uk)

Posted by msmash on from the spymaster dept.

Iain Thomson, writing for The Register: CIA director John Brennan told U.S. senators they shouldn't worry about mandatory encryption backdoors hurting American businesses. And that's because, according to Brennan, there's no one else for people to turn to: if they don't want to use U.S.-based technology because it's been forced to use weakened cryptography, they'll be out of luck because non-American solutions are simply "theoretical." Thus, the choice is American-built-and-backdoored or nothing, apparently. The spymaster made the remarks at a congressional hearing on Thursday after Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) questioned the CIA's support for weakening cryptography to allow g-men to peek at people's private communications and data. Brennan said this was needed to counter the ability of terrorists to coordinate their actions using encrypted communications. The director denied that forcing American companies to backdoor their security systems would cause any commercial problems.

6 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. Good thing all mathematicians are American then by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 5, Insightful

    >> (for crypto) there's no one else for people to turn to (mofos)

    Well, it's a good thing that all mathematicians have always been and will always be American then.

  2. The "response" should be an indictment. by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Under 18 U.S.C. ss. 1001, lying to Congress is offense punishable by up to five years in prison (or eight if the lie is terrorism-related). The correct "response" to John Brennon's blatant, politically motivated, criminal lie is to indict him, convict him, and send him to Federal prison where totalitarian freedom-hating enemies of the American public like him belong.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  3. Re:Dumfounded at the ignorance by pushing-robot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When it comes to intelligence agencies, never attribute to ignorance that which can adequately be explained by malice.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  4. Can't decide by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can't decide if Brennan is stupid, or if he thinks everyone else is stupid.

    I readily admit this is not an uncommon reaction of mine when I read of the things presented by elected and appointed officials. The US government is a madhouse.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    1. Re:Can't decide by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I just can't believe he's so clueless as to not understand that math doesn't recognize lines on a map, nor can I quite believe he didn't expect to get called out on his bullshit.

      Well, it isn't HIS cluelessness that is the problem here..is the his audience...the US Senators/CongressCritters that he speaks to in these hearings.

      See, they are the ones that pass the laws that could mandate weakening software and forcing backdoors.

      He may know perfectly well that this is a false and stupid thing to say, but it IS something the TLA's want badly...so, he tells them this and they think that it won't cause harm to US businesses, and they have, instead, just helped to fight the terrorists...and have their constituents be happy about this.

      It is the ignorance of the lawmakers that you have to worry about.....and unfortunately they're getting their information from a guy like this, that wants what he wants, no matter the cost to business or the constitution.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:Can't decide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I can understand how you'd make that mistake, but he's not clueless. It's much worse than that.

      He's a man who knows that no one can challenge the power that he's amassed for himself, because the establishment is on his side. Surveillance is just a fact of life now, some people aren't going to give up their Facebook accounts until they die and he's grinning like the shit-eater he really is, because he's getting paid to take away the same freedoms they claimed they were "defending" after September 11th happened. People are legally required to pay money out of pocket straight into the hands of the same people who are supressing their rights to privacy and free speech.

      If you knew that you were taken care of for life and there were no consequences to anything you did, no matter how horrendous, how would you act? These are the same people that had pictures of their torture at Abu Ghraib published around the world, a thousand-plus-page report on their methods published around the world and what did people do? Fuck all nothing, that's what. Brennan has that grin because he knows nobody is challenging him any time soon, period.